Isanti Soil & Water Conservation District

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Isanti SWCD

Serving the residents and conserving our natural resources

The Mission of the Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District is to provide guidance, to inspire action, and to bring innovative resources to the table so that people can become leaders in keeping land and water healthy for future generations.
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Agricultural Services
Join MPCA's Citizen Water Monitoring Program
Recent Buffer Law Changes

Our Office is Open

Our office is open to the public! We are here to help you Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.

Staff may not be in the office at all times due to the outdoor nature of our work. Consider calling our office before your visit at 763-689-3271. See the Contact Us page for other ways to contact staff members.

Get to Know our newly sworn in Isanti SWCD's Supervisors

On January 3rd two supervisors were sworn onto the Isanti Soil & Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Tom Anderson, our new supervisor, will represent Bradford, Athens, and Oxford Township. Dave Medvecky has been on our board for two years and represents North Branch and Isanti Townships. We are excited for Tom and Dave to bring their expertise to our board!
Read about our Supervisors here

Aquatic Invasive Species 2022 Report

Read About the Actions Taken in 2022 to Prevent the Spread of AIS

Isanti County and Isanti Soil and Water Conservation District work in partnership to complete actions that will prevent and mitigate the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) and provide education and outreach to the public. We have published a report of the actions taken in 2022.

Read The Report

Alum Treatment Completed on Blue Lake

Alum Treatment Success on Blue Lake!

The Isanti SWCD secured a Clean Water Fund Grant to perform an alum treatment on Blue Lake that was done on September 14th. The treatment would not be possible without the Blue Lake Improvement District, who is providing a necessary 25% grant match and have been working with the Isanti SWCD to make this a reality. The Isanti SWCD has been working to protect the health of Blue Lake by completing conservation projects in the area surrounding the lake. Now, an alum treatment has been identified as the next most logical and cost-effective way to protect Blue Lake.
Learn About the Alum Treatment

SWCDs Seek Permanent, Reliable Funding

SWCDs are funded primarily through the state legislature through the Board of Water and Soil Resources.

If Minnesota wants to continue to help landowners interested in voluntary conservation projects, it needs to find an adequate and permanent funding solution for SWCDs. Our state legislators will consider a proposed solution – SWCD Aid – which would be a standing, statutory appropriation to SWCDs from the Department of Revenue. This permanent funding source would allow us to put more projects in the ground and provide a reliable source of funding for staff. If you’d like to get involved to make sure that Isanti SWCD and SWCDs across the state have adequate and permanent funding, you can contact our local elected officials!

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Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

The goal of the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) is to create ecosystem service markets that incentivize producers to improve soil health, benefiting both the farmer and society. What sets this program apart is its focus not just on carbon but also water quality, habitat preservation, and biodiversity production. It is set to launch in 2022. Producers that sign up for the program will be compensated for adopting new conservation and soil health practices. Call us to get started!
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Our Green Lake Mission
We have made a lot of progress towards our goal of getting Green Lake off the impaired waterbodies list! 2022 was the second of a 16-year grant program to improve the health of Green Lake. The first phase of the grant is finding projects that have a direct impact on the lake.

We have made a short storyboard that will take you through the progress made on Green Lake.

View the Storyboard

The Beauty of Oxford Township Lakes

Oxford Township in Southern Isanti County is home to seven natural environment lakes. These lakes are remarkably healthy and unique. Watch this video explaining what makes natural environment lakes so special.

All of the footage was shot on the Oxford Township lakes!

Watch the video here

Isanti SWCD Awarded Soil Health Grant

New Funding for Soil Health Projects!

The Isanti SWCD received a Soil Health Grant to fund and promote projects that will improve soil health in Isanti County. If you’ve been considering doing a soil health project, now is a great time to try it! We can provide funding for non-structural ag BMP projects such as cover crops, prescribed grazing, nutrient management, and tillage management. This grant will also allow us to increase our outreach to farmers.

"Conservation is for All of Us"

Kevin Schlipp and his wife have been conservation minded for years. Therefore, when they started learning about cover crops in farmer magazines and from long time practicer Dave Medvecky (part of the Isanti SWCD board), they decided to try them. Kevin has been using cover crops for two years now, and joined the Isanti SWCD Cover Crop Program last year.

Kevin uses a cover crop mix of buckwheat, crimson clover, radish, winter peas, and some soybeans. He chose his mix using the advice of Dave and the NRCS and SWCD staff. When the buckwheat is in bloom the farm is a rolling field of flowers that attracts many bees. However, Kevin’s favorite benefit of the cover crops are not the bumbling bees on his property. Instead, he has noticed “very few weeds breaking out and coming through once the cover crop has been established.” This saves him time, money and chemicals. The weed protection of cover crops encourages Kevin to keep using them, as he says, “If I can get by with using less chemicals that is a motivating factor for me.”

When Kevin was asked why cover crops and conservation was important to him, he responded immediately: “Well, conservation is for all of us.” Cover crops improve soil health and water quality which benefits both the farmer and the environment.

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Board Meeting
SWCD Board Meeting
08:00
Cambridge USDA Service Center, 110 Buchanan St. N., Cambridge Minnesota
Registration Closed
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For the latest happening at the Isanti SCWD, please view or download our newsletter.

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2022 was a busy year for Isanti SWCD. Click here to read all about our most recent Conservation programs and priorities. We would like to send out a special thank you to all our Federal, State, and Local partners who support our mission to preserve, protect and enhance water quality, soil, and other natural resources in Isanti County. We’re already planning great things for 2023 including targeted agricultural outreach, lakeshore restorations on Green Lake and Skogman Lake, and agriculture projects in the Lower St. Croix Watershed.

IMG 2097 

One of our conservation technicians got to speak with KBEK about their work. Todd Kulaf discussed the Isanti SWCD and his conservation project at Spectacle Lake. Thank you to KBEK for talking to us! If you missed it you can listen to it here.

logo SWCD Isanti Final MWA 8       KBEK

  • Completed Projects Virtual Tour
    View a map of all completed SWCD projects. Click on individual projects to read more about them.
    Green Lake 319 Grant Progress
    We have made a lot of progress towards our goal of getting Green Lake off the impaired waterbodies list! 2021 was the first of a 16-year grant program to improve the health of Green Lake. We have made a short storyboard that will take you through everything we have done on Green Lake.
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    Oak Wilt Resources for Isanti County Residents
    Oak wilt, caused by the non-native fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, is responsible for killing large numbers of oak trees annually in Minnesota. Oak Wilt is most severe in red oak group species such as Northern Red Oak and Northern Pin Oak. The Isanti County Parks Department has put together this brochure as a guide for managing Oak wilt: Oak Wilt in Isanti County To learn more and see good photos of diseased trees, you can also visit the U of M Residents can call the SWCD and the Isanti County Parks Department for names of contractors who can help with trees and root trenching on your property.
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    Seed Drill Available for Rent
    The Isanti SWCD rents a seed drill suitable for planting native grasses and wildflowers. Cost is $12/acre. Rental must be within 20 miles of the City of Isanti. Rental has a $150 minimum fee within Isanti County. Rental minimum outside of Isanti county is $250. A $161.81 damage deposit is required at the time of rental. For safety reasons, we ask that you don't drive over 20 mph while towing the seeder. Call Matthew Remer at 763-689-3271 to schedule.
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    Financial Help for Conservation
    The Isanti SWCD can help you with conservation efforts on your property with guidance and financial assistance.We are here for your questions and to help.
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    Tree Sale is Open
    Enhance your property with trees that are especially suited to your property. Container, bare root and seedlings are all available through the Isanti SWCD. The Isanti SWCD tree sale is now open for all your landscaping and conservation needs.